The best books you read in 2017?

[southeastdweller]

So as another year is coming to an end, I've been thinking about all the books I've read in 2017. These were my stand-out reads of the year:

1. Keeping On Keeping On - Alan Bennett
2. A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara
3. Swing Time - Zadie Smith
4. One Good Turn – Kate Atkinson
5. Conversations with Friends - Sally Rooney
6. The Silence Between Breaths - Cath Staincliffe

What have been your favourite books this year?

Have already commented but coming in with a late entry having just finished The Good People by Hannah Kent. Looking forward to reading Burial Rites now.

This has been a slightly disappointing year for me - I've read far less than I usually do and have had to plough through a lot of stuff I didn't really like. But standouts were:

Sapiens: A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
This must be the place by Maggie O’Farrell
The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexeivich
Spencer’s List by Lissa Evans

Stuart a little fe p vedbackwards
a man called ove
the minaturist
alone in berlin

sorry i meant ...Stuart.a life lived backwards

My absolute favourite this year was The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, a mix of science fiction (ish) and fantasy, but almost as a tiny sidestep out of reality rather than a different world. Beautifully written, esp the titular story.

Also really liked Stories of Your Life and others by Ted Chiang. Science fiction short stories. "Story of Your Life" was made into the film "Arrival" (which I haven't seen!) but the story is great, esp if you like linguistics and/or.. aliens

For me
Hag-Seed - typical Atwood, short, pithy and thoughtful
A Little Life - flawed and over-long but still a powerful read
Hot Milk - sounded dreadful from the reviews (melodramatic tosh I thought) but actually beautifully written

Oh yes, My name is Lucy Barnton

I quite liked Olive Kitteridge but didn’t enjoy Lucy Barton so much. I have seen Arrival and have those short stories, looking forward to them in the New Year.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

A Little Life - completely lived up to the hype for me
Welcome to Lagos - funny and really enjoyable, a lot of very good African literature gets overlooked so good to see this in mainstream stores.
A Kind Of Loving - its what... 60 year old? And doesn't read that dated.
This Is Going To Hurt - raved to everyone about this but it's one of the best and most enjoyable books I've read in a very long time as well as being incredibly important.

Michael Connelly The Bosch Detective Series - Various Titles .Also a tv series.

Best: Sashenka by Simon Sebag Montefiore. I will never be over this book. Ever.

I also read all of Santa Montefiore's Ireland trilogy. Not sure what's in the water at their house but it's working.

Also loved The Anna Karenina Fix, Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser and read my first Ishiguro Never Let Me Go and Julian Barnes Sense of an ending which was wonderful.

I also discovered Aiysha Malik Sofia Khan is not obliged a hilarious Bridget Jones type romp with a Muslim protagonist. Hilarious.

Another one who thought Days Without End was brilliant. Harrowing in parts yet beautifully written.

I also really enjoyed Life After Life, and Everyone Brave is Forgiven was unexpectedly riveting.

Ah LastQueen, A Kind of Loving (Barstow) is one of my favourite books of all time and has indeed stood the test of time.

Everyone Brave is Forgiven (Cleave) was probably my favourite novel this year. It's been stressful so reading has been mainly light relief.

I loved the first Elena Ferrante but lost interest during the second, time to try again perhaps.

Have just downloaded Brazzaville Beach onto my kindle thanks to the recommendations here. I'm a long term fan of Boyd and his Ordinary Thunderstorms is one of my desert island books.

Hoping for more reading time in 2018!

Oh and Life After Life was fascinating too. I think I've read all of Kate Atkinson and she just gets better. It could have been really irritating but had me enthralled and dwelling on how life turns in small decisions and happenstance.

My Heart is My Own, the Life of Mary Queen of Scots by John Guy
The Seagull by Anne Cleeves
The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
In Defence of Dogs by John Bradshaw

Two stand out this year for me. Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante had me sobbing at the beautiful, painful prose describing the devastation of a marriage breakdown. Secondly, the Outrun by Amy Liptrot.

I’m also late to the party with Gilead. I’ve had it for a year but I keep putting it down as I don’t want it to end.

The Power- Naomi Alderman
The Fireman- Joe Hill
The Trophy Child- Paula Daly
Without Trace and Kill me Twice - Simon Booker

I'm reading City of Mirrors-the last book in the Justin Cronin vampire trilogy. It's excellent. I'm not usually a sci-fi fan but I just loved these so I want to officially add it as a book of the year for me.

Paradise Lodge by Nina Stibbe. I almost didn't want to finish it.
The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood.

The lie of the land by Amanda Craig
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner
the last stand of Major Pettigrew by Helen Simonson

Fiction: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. I loved this story of Korean immigrants in Japan. A true family saga.

Non fiction: I am, I am, I am by Maggie Farrell. I've always loved her writing but this memoir is outstanding.

I'm a little behind on my reading, but my favourite this year was Gogol's Dead Souls.
Am currently on All the Light We Cannot See, and enjoying it very much.

All the light we cannot see is by far not only the best book of 2017 but that I have ever read. I just sat and read it all in one sitting.

I've seen the Essex serpent on here a few times, it's one that I keep seeing in the book shop and deciding against last minute. I might have to give it a try.